Keep with Casey, one more year at least...I hate recycling through coaches. Same issue with the NFL. Always been a firm believer in giving coaches 3 years. Let's be honest, this is where most people thought the Raptors would be, somewhere close to the playoffs, maybe a shot at the 8th seed. We will most likely be giving up a 9-14 lottery pick in a weak draft which everyone would be satisfied with.

I mean sure Casey has struggled, without a doubt at times. I couldn't believe he didn't put Val in during the 4th quarter. As well I would rather play T-Ross than Anderson. He's working with a much different roster than last year and really without the 4-19 start we would be 19-16 which would be better than my expectations with a roster that has gone through so much turnover from last season.

Every team loses a couple ugly games like we have the past 2 days, and every team pulls off a strong team win like they did against the Knicks twice

It's easy to see that Casey's a stand up guy. He seems to have the players respect and others look up to him. He IS a rookie coach, however, and it does show every now and then. With that said, I still think he'll figure things out sooner or later and when that time comes I get the feeling he might just be the perfect fit for this team... we've already had our fair share of loser, go-nowhere coaches. I's rather take my chances with Casey and see if he pans out (like I think he will) rather than taking a chance with yet another coach and playing that same old identity game again.

New players and injuries not to mention all the other dumb-ass distractions that seem to allways follow this team - Let Casey figure it out, give the man some more patience and stop acting like you know more than the people on the sidelines, in practice and who know the players on a personal level - when all your knowledge come from watching games on f*&^ng TSN.

At this level, motivation is never on the coach, IMO. However, a coach can and should control who gets PT, and what they do with their PT in terms of fulfilling their role and not going beyond it.

I actually disagree with this comment, sort of. While I agree that a coach shouldn't need to motivate players for big games. That said I'm of the opinion that the biggest part of coaching, (and I would argue also argue that it's the factor that separates those coaches who make a statistical difference and those who don't) is mental focus

Yes, talent wins in he NBA, but once you get past the first round it becomes difficult to determine which team is more talented. Was San Antonio more talented last year than OKC? Was OKC last year more talented than Miami? At that point it's about match ups and style of play.

It's about imposing your game on the opponent and execution to me that's the role of the coach, not to motivate that players, but make sure that their using that motivation in the right way.

A tangible example of this is Carlisle's use of Terry during the Mavs championship run. I'm not sure there was a player MORE motivated to win the Championship that year, I mean the guy tatooed the trophy on his body during the regular season. Yet, Terry was always an energy guy who had problems make good decision.

I don't have a source and this is a Carlisle anecdote that I'm peraphrasing but here goes. Carlisle has said that in the playoffs, when Terry was taking bad shoots (well, taking bad shoots that weren't going in) that he (Carlisle) would sub him out, but wouldn't try to tell him to take better shots, or do anything different, he'd just say something like, "I'm going to put you back in just let me know when you're ready."

Two or three possessions later Terry would come up to Carlisle and say "I'm ready". Carlisle immediately subs him in and Terry scores 9 straight points or some other terry-esque feat. What did Carlisle actually do? There's no motivation speech, no X's or O's, no strategy or advice, didn't go to a different player, bench him because "he just wasn't hot tonight" no, he just used a technique that he found worked for Terry that made sure his motivation was used in the right way.

Obviously, it takes different methods for different players, sometimes different methods for the same players on different days, BUT keeping players mentally focused is biggest and most important part of what a coach does, and although I don't think it's motivation, a lot of times it seems like motivation.

This is something that Phil Jackson is routinely credited with, and again, I think we can all agree that Kobe Bryant, is a pretty motivated guy. Well what would Jackson due to keep bryant focused? A number of things, but one was to quip references to MJ, something like, "Do you think Jordan only took 1000 jump shots a day?" and of course, Kobe would go out and shoot 2000 jump shots, because he wants to be better than Jordan. I don't know how many jump shots Jordan took, and he may not of taking any, but it was a techique that Jackson know would light a fire under kobe's ass.

Yes, talent wins in the NBA to a point after which it comes down to which team is mentally tougher, and this is where the coach, more than any other person in the organisation, makes a difference.

I would agree, Casey hasn't had the team focused the way they need to be, and motivation is a component of that, but I'm not ready to call for him to be fired yet, I think he gets next season as well, and you re-evaluate afterwards. He's still got some games left to get these guys back on track even though playoffs are over with (will at least according to me and most of the other posters on here).

Unfortunately, for those of us who want see more Ross & JV I came across this tidbit on Doug Smith's blogl (which I went to to read about his blurb about bargnani)

Regardless of what you or I think, these guys are not going to give up the ghost of a playoff race yet.
Not sure when the inevitable hits home and the race is over — six back in 10th with just 24 to go seems an impossible task — but just listening to them in the locker room after the Cleveland game hammers home their continued confidence.
They were disappointed, frustrated and ticked off, of course, but no one was throwing in the towel; not Dwane Casey, not the three of four players I talked to.
And you may say it’s silly to think that way but what you think, or I think, doesn’t really matter. Until it’s over, it’s not over.
So if you’re looking for 30 minutes a night for Terrence Ross or 40 minutes a night for Jonas Valanciunas or 15 minutes a night for Quincy Acy, you’re not going to get it yet.
Please don’t whine, it’s not your decision and until you get Dwane’s job, there’s nothing you can do about it.

So there you have it. The raps still think they've got a chance and the Rook's minutes aren't going to change that much in the next few games. And that's annoying for me.

"We only have one rule on this team. What is that rule? E.L.E. That's right's, E.L.E, and what does E.L.E. stand for? EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. Right there up on the wall, because this isn't just a basketball team, this is a lifestyle. ~ Jackie Moon

Maybe someone has mentioned this already, but they have GOT to let BC go at the end of the season. Don't renew his contract. Let Stefanski run things if you must. The point is that as long as BC is here, bot DC and AB basically have unfair immunity.

Like with Sam Mitchell and Colangelo, the coach is only safe as long as he's performing well. As long as the old GM is still around, this really isn't the case.

I'm not saying fire DC, I'm not nearly ready to make that decision yet. But it's not even a realistic option as long as BC is around.

Oh, and fire BC because...he's BC. That alone should be a good enough reason.

this team is not going anywhere with dwane casey. These past 2 games alone should get him fired. Not to mention all the 4th quarter blown leads this season.

Couple of things:

- bargnani tonight played 15mins most of them in the 4th. Finished with 1rb and 1ast. Defensively he's a liability so if he's not hitting shots what's the point of keeping him on the floor?

- how does jonas valanciunas not get into the game down the stretch? 5pts 8rbs 3blks in 24 mins.

- ross didn't even play tonight. This guy before the gay trade was one of the most effective player off the bench and now he's not even getting any playing time.

- raps offence this year reminds me alot of the kevin o'neill days. Just iso every plays. No ball movement whatsoever. Very predictable.

- plays after timeout is non existent all season long.

- substitution pattern is a mess

there's a lot good coaches available. Jeff and stan van gundy just to name a few. This raps team in my opinion needs an experienced coach. A guy that's been to the playoffs, a guy that has a winning resume. This is not a shot on casey, he's a good guy but i don't think he's an nba caliber coach.

Do you think he will re-assess substitution patterns if BC and AB were gone?

More so Andrea than Colangelo. Only reason from the top of my head he's getting playing time is playing for value. He certainly hasn't earned any playing time in my opinion, but he's getting burn regardless, which is absolutely mind-bobbling if this team wants to make the playoffs.

If andrea wasnt on the team we would be a better team addition by subtraction its already been proven this year. Casey Ball will never blossom as long as he is a Rap and he will continue to be scrutinized.

Agreed. Dwane Casey is a fine coach, unless team looks like they've lost all confidence in Casey, or team is seriously underachieving, than go ahead and give it a makeover.

LOL this team has UNDERACHIEVED big time. 13 fourth quarter blown leads this season(all losses). The 2 previous games against the Wiz and Cavs alone should get him fired. How do you play that lethargic on a must win game? like they have no idea what they're doing offensively and defensively. How do you lose to a bad team and a team with the worst road record in the NBA like the Wiz at home? how do you lose to Cavs team without Irving?

I like Casey, he seems like a real nice guy but i don't think he's an NBA caliber coach.

just to be in the game in the 4th quarter was an achievement, often against opponents that we had no business taking that far(obviously the vetran teams are the favoured in these situations - this is nothing to be having fits about)

a lot of you guys want your perfect team, and want it now, I get it, I just don't think its realistic... the players are still learning to be men

I honestly think Dwane Casey should still be the coach for this team going forward. He has the respect of his players & they seem willing to give him an honest effort every night. I do believe that he needs a better lead assistant, someone in line to get a head coaching gig of his own & have great insight on the X's and O's. He needs work on his substitution patterns and some strategic help won't hurt.

Personnel really dictates a lot of what happens on the court. An example is Jonas. I love the kid and he honestly works his butt off but I have seen him cause the offense to break down because of lack of awareness. He's simply not in sync with the rest of the guys in terms of timing. Obviously, that will get better as part of his development but I do see the rationale behind why he gets benched in the fourth.

The problem is behind Jonas, there's only Andrea, Gray or the small ball. Basically, you pick your poison on what you are willing to give up. In theory, Andrea is the choice and I'm sure a lot of other coaches will say the same. He is the best option as the big guarding the pick and roll & he still can knock down a jump shot. The problem is Andrea is not willing to give an honest effort, so that alone should get him glued to the bench. If you play Aaron Gray, you're basically playing 4 on 5 on offense because opponents will sag off him on purpose. If you play small ball, more problems in terms of match-ups.

What I'm trying to say is at this moment, we lack the talent overall as a team and I don't think that's on Casey. We have players whose skills really don't compliment each other. But I do think that he needs to re-evaluate some strategic decisions because he has a lot to improve upon himself.

“I don’t create controversies. They’re there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention.”

LOL this team has UNDERACHIEVED big time. 13 fourth quarter blown leads this season(all losses). The 2 previous games against the Wiz and Cavs alone should get him fired. How do you play that lethargic on a must win game? like they have no idea what they're doing offensively and defensively. How do you lose to a bad team and a team with the worst road record in the NBA like the Wiz at home? how do you lose to Cavs team without Irving?

I like Casey, he seems like a real nice guy but i don't think he's an NBA caliber coach.

Did you really think this team was going to be make a playoff spot? I thought they would compete for one, but not truly be a playoff team. How about you consider him in the wins? The team play has been absolutely great in wins. It's not always on the coach, the team played like crap.. Plain and simple.

Did you really think this team was going to be make a playoff spot? I thought they would compete for one, but not truly be a playoff team. How about you consider him in the wins? The team play has been absolutely great in wins. It's not always on the coach, the team played like crap.. Plain and simple.

Question, without Rudy Gay what do you think their record would be right now? i say 18-20 wins. On pace for a 25 win season. Remember they won 23 games last year. And the expectations this year and my expectation is a 35-38 win team and that's without Rudy Gay.

Fact is, the Raps have more talent this year than last year even without Gay. They've lost so many games because of blown leads in the 4th. 13 to be exact. Most of them in my opinion because of POOR substitutions and because of the way they execute offensively and defensively. Their execution offensively since day 1 is a joke and it's still a joke. No improvement whatsoever. They're very predictable.

The way he's handled the Bargnani situation is a joke. No way this guy should be playing 25+mins a game specially on a must win game.

I can go on and on. Why is Anderson getting this many mins? why is JV not playing much? where the hell did Ross mins went? he was playing so well off the bench for them before the Gay trade.